SHURA Council members were yesterday briefed on the key role of the Interior Ministry’s Ombudsman Office in protecting and consolidating human rights in Bahrain.
Ombudsman secretary general Nawaf Al Ma’awda outlined the independent watchdog’s goals, principles and contributions in a virtual lecture organised by the Bahrain Institute for Political Development.
Titled “Role of the Ombudsman in the Criminal Justice System”, the lecture is part of the institute and the council’s secretariat general efforts to enhance parliamentary and technical skills of Shura members, as well as their legal and political knowledge.
Mr Al Ma’awda also highlighted the Ombudsman’s jurisdictions, being the first of its kind in the region, and outlined its five guiding principles, namely independence, credibility, accountability, neutrality and transparency.
He also shed light on the Ombudsman’s role in visiting prisons, juvenile care centres, and detention centres to ascertain the legality of the procedures, and that inmates, prisoners and detainees are not subjected to torture or inhuman treatment.
“Since its launch, the Ombudsman has succeeded in winning the confidence of the public, as well as the respect and appreciation of international organisations,” he said, citing the Chaillot Prize for the Promotion of Human Rights granted to it by the European Union Delegation to GCC countries in 2014.
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